It was the single bloodiest day for American troops in U.S. History. Tuesday, June 6, 1944 – commonly referred to as D-Day, was not only the turning point for World War II, but quite possibly world history as we know it.

Under the command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, almost 133,000 troops from the United States, the British Commonwealth, and their allies, landed on the Normandy shores on D-Day. A total of 4,414 troops were killed on D-Day itself, including 2,501 Americans.  By June 30, over 850,000 men, 148,000 vehicles, and 570,000 tons of supplies had landed on the Normandy shores.

It was the turning point of World War II and led to an allied victory on September 2, 1945.

Several Sullivan County residents were at D-Day, including Tommy Consavage of Fremont Center, who died on February 14, 1996. Tommy was in the initial invasion and, as he was running through the hedgerows of Normandy, he heard a bomb coming in.

Tommy took cover as best he could, but the bomb went off right in front of him, blinding him for life.

Tommy got rehabilitated, learned to do everyday tasks, married his beautiful wife and retired to a small farm in Fremont.

One of the unique stories about Tommy was how patriotic and proud of his country he remained until the day he died.

Every day, Tommy would wake up in the morning, carry his American flag out to his 15-foot flagpole, salute it and then repeat the Pledge of Allegiance. Quite a tribute to a great country from a man who sacrificed so much for our freedoms.

As we enjoy our freedoms this Thursday, June 6, please do not forget to remember the 80th Anniversary of D-Day. It will be a tribute to the 16,400,000 American soldiers who served in World War II. They were named “America’s Greatest Generation” for a reason and we can certainly find no better way to honor their legacy than by saluting our flag and saying “Thank you.”

It’s the least we can do.

On a personal note, the great-granddaughter of Fred and Shirley Stabbert Jr., Emily Finch, will be playing the clarinet in a parade in Normandy this Thursday as her band from Florida State honors our heroes.  

It will certainly be a memory she will cherish forever.